Tuesday, August 31, 2010

I made it to Day 30!

Today is Day 30 of my personal paleo challenge.  Yay!!  I was going to do the recap of my challenge today and then I realized that Day 30 isn't over yet.  Boo!!  To be scientific-like about the whole thing, I need to do a weigh-in tomorrow morning to bookend my Day 1 starting weight.  Maybe I should wrap myself in Saran wrap and start doing jumping jacks now....

I'll be back tomorrow with the recap!  And probably a big mocha!

Cheers,
the CilleyGirl

Friday, August 27, 2010

I'm still lousy with it

As I've mentioned, I've been feeling a tad off my game this week.  Dr. Google and I have started to suspect that I was a little too heavy into ketosis this week -- ketosis being the metabolic state resulting from a high protein diet like paleo where you burn fat rather than glucose for energy.  Up to a point, it's okay.  Past that point and you're at risk for kidney problems, organ failure, bad breath, etc.  You know, some serious shit.

Usually the risk is minimal with paleo, because it's not a low carb diet; rather, your carbs come from fruits and veggies rather than grains and starches.  Plus you're typically not 100% paleo all the time; it encourages non-paleo meals and days.  I've been sloppy lately though, as I head into the last few days of my 30 day challenge, and have been eating about 75% of my diet in protein rather than the at least 50-50 mix you want to aim for.  Warning sides that you're going into ketosis include headaches, irritability and kidney issues.  Did I mention I also slacked off on water yesterday? 

So today I'm loading up on electrolytes plus lots of fruit and dinner tonight will be heavy on veggies.  Interestingly enough, there are more carbs in a banana than in romaine lettuce.  I guess that's from the fructose.  And who knows, I could feel lousy because I'm fighting off a cold or a sinus infection, or maybe it's a chick thing with the hormones.  Guess we'll see!

Cheers,
the CilleyGirl

Thursday, August 26, 2010

My kingdom for a personal chef!

As a side note, I just noticed that this is my 301st post.  I'd be impressed, except that I'm a gabby lil mo'fo so it's really not much of an accomplishment.

Anyhow. 

Still going great on paleo -- a total of eight unofficial pounds lost as of today -- but really really really tired of cooking all of my meals every single day.  Well, almost all; I've made three or four paleo meals out of the deli case at Freddy's this month.  Viva la meatball!  Today it seems to have hit really hard (I feel like I'm fighting a cold).  It's not really that I want to eat crap or even really non-paleo, I just want to eat something that somebody else has made.  Hmm, maybe a trip to the deli case tonight is in order. 

Speaking of paleo -- and really, when am I not these days? -- we had a birthday celebration at our office for one of my coworkers.  We ordered in from a restaurant, and this was my first time doing that on paleo.  They even had steak-type stuff on the menu; I was really tempted to order prime rib with a side of asparagus.  Instead, I got a great salad with arugula.... well, that part wasn't great.  I detest arugula.  It tastes great but visually, it's lawn clippings people.  The leaves look like weeds and in this batch there were even things with stalks and flowers.  In my salad!  Lawn clippings!!  I tried not to look at what I was eating.  Which really was good:  arugula with apples, pears, grapes, and walnuts with a lemon vinaigrette dressing that was absolutely fantastic (I need to try to replicate that dressing). 

It also had cheese, which is not paleo.  I guess my brain skipped over that it had cheese, although it really was the best paleo salad choice out of their menu.  It was something like gorgonzola too, so not only do I love that kind of cheese but it was crumbly and kind of hard to avoid.  I ended up having a little bit.  I was going to have all of it, but it started to seem much too rich about halfway through my salad and so I picked out all of the chunks I could after that. 

I wasn't sure how it was going to sit on my stomach and for a while it seemed like it was gonna be startin somethin then it went away.  This was Tuesday.  Last night, I learned the cheese was apparently lying in wait for me to let my guard down; I had a stomach ache all night.  And I didn't even eat that much!  Maybe an ounce, about the size of my thumb. 

Still, a pretty damn good salad.  And maybe my stomach hurt from something else.  I really haven't been feeling 100% lately.  My plan is to take a mental health day tomorrow.  Oops, now that looks like it won't be the case.  Fuck.  Whatever.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

No Weight Wednesday

In reading all your blogs this week, the pervasive theme seems to be that folks are a little discouraged and maybe just a little tired of everything that goes into this battle of the bulge and the rat race to be a better runner.  We need a break.

Therefore, I hereby dub today "No Weight Wednesday," where we will NOT talk about food or diets or the size of various body parts or our adventures in exercise (or lack thereof).

I was going to talk about superstitions. 

But then I bored even myself.  So instead I'm going to post some panels of my very favorite comic strip, Pearls Before Swine.  Because I'm easily amused.



















Thank you and good night!

Cheers,
the CilleyGirl

Monday, August 23, 2010

Paleo Update - Week 3

Today is Day 22 of my 30 day paleo challenge, which for those of you familiar with math will recognize as the day after the first 21 days of this challenge.  And my, wasn't that a grammatically awkward sentence?

So, how am I doing?

Day 1:  193.2 lbs.
Day 22:  186.2 lbs.
Poundage difference:  7.0 lbs!

Yesterday's weight was even lower -- 185.8 lbs, which it's probably been more than two years since I've seen that number on the scale -- but I only count Mondays in my weigh-ins. 

I'm still enjoying this new way of eating, but I am looking forward to not being so strict.  I miss cheese.  I miss sushi.  I'd like to have a glass of milk.  But I do like a lot of things about this paleo lifestyle:
  • The weight loss.
  • More than the weight loss, overall I feel and look leaner.
  • Bacon.
  • More bacon.
  • Feeling satisfied more quickly.
  • Having that feeling of satisfaction last longer.
  • Not counting calories.  That one should probably top the list with weight loss and a leaner look.
  • Did I mention there's bacon? 
  • After the first seven days, very manageable cravings that I can placate with, say, fruit.  Or bacon.
  • Things like shrimp and scallops and avocados on a regular basis.  All of which go great with bacon.
However, I did make a list of things I want to eat after the 30 days is up.  Here's what I have to date:
  • Sushi.
  • A burger (with cheese and bacon!) and fries.
  • Coldstone Creamery (the real peanut butter in with chocolate ice cream and bits of peanut butter cups).
  • A Cinnabon cinnamon roll.
Not all at one sitting, though.  Or even in one day.  In the very recent past I could've eaten all of that over the course of one day but now that sounds fairly revolting.

On the subject of cinnamon rolls (with or without bacon, your choice), I was watching TV this weekend and one of the characters got this gigantic tray of cinnamon rolls.  That kicked my cinnamon roll/chocolate glazed donut craving into high gear.  Luckily I had that awesome number on the scale before I went to the grocery store or I might have succumbed to just one donut.  That's when Cinnabon got added to my "I wanna" list.  In retrospect, I don't think I've ever had a real Cinnabon cinnamon roll.  But I figure if you're going to have something, it should be the best of that particular something.  Like eating crappy or mediocre grocery store sushi when you're desperate for sushi.  Afterwards, you're still craving sushi because you just had crap and you had a bunch of calories without getting rid of your craving. 

I encourage folks to check into paleo, maybe give it a try just for 30 days.  Don't focus on what you won't be having.  Instead, focus on what you will be having:  all the meat, seafood, fruits, and veggies you can eat.  And it's tough to overeat on something like carrot sticks or even steak.  Or even bacon.  (I've tried.)  Other than a new way of thinking about meals, this -- particularly the weight loss -- has been fairly effortless.  By which I mean I've exercised exactly once in the past 21 days.  I'm kind of afraid to at this point; I don't want to jinx things.  Eventually I will.  Exercise, that is, not jinx things. 

Here's to having a wonderful week -- with lots of BACON!

Cheers,
the CilleyGirl

Thursday, August 19, 2010

The Amazing Six Breasted Woman

This morning I saw a number on my scale that I haven't seen since mid-February.  Haven't seen in a good way.  I am becoming incredibly superstitious in my attempts not to jinx this weight loss.

I am also excited that my reign as The Amazing Six Breasted Woman may at long last be over.

As my readers know -- well, as anyone with eyes who has seen the pictures on this page knows -- I have breastage.  Serious breastage.  The 38DD kind.  The kind that does not change with weight loss or fat loss. 

I've been well endowed since the fifth grade.  I remember making my mother take me bra shopping around age 10, when almost all my friends all needed their first bras, only to find out that I didn't have enough breast to fit into an A cup.  Or whatever was below an A cup.  (It's like the minor leagues.)  I remember doing those stupid "we must we must we must increase our bust exercises" for months afterwards.  I remember giving up, figuring I'd be like my mom who told me she was as flat as an ironing board until she was 16.  I remember thinking I was probably lucky not to be like one friend of mine who was a C cup in the fourth grade.  I vividly remember another friend coming up to me in class during the 5th grade and telling me I better get into a bra, pronto.  I'd forgotten about it so well that they'd not only sprouted, they'd taken off.  I was a B cup shortly thereafter and a C cup well before the end of high school.  By law school I was a D and I've been a 38DD since, oh, around 1993. 

I was a C at my lowest all-time adult weight (up to age 20) (this is also more or less my goal weight) so I have little hope that, sans surgery, the girls will ever be small.  A D may be the best I can ever hope for.  And I'm mostly okay with that.

But what I really want to get rid of are the two auxiliary racks lurking below my primary rack. 

What I refer to as my ferret when I'm standing becomes a second set of breasts when I'm sitting.  Granted, it's a uniboob, but still.  There's a C cup directly below my DDs. 

Oh, and if that weren't bad enough, thanks to my apple genetics I've got another uniboob below that one.  That one, below the waistband of my jeans but above the coochie, is a B.  B for bastards!

When I sit, I am The Amazing Six Breasted Woman.  Or maybe The Three Rack Woman.  I think the first one has more flair though.  It would definitely look better on a business card.  Or maybe as the new title of this blog (I've been thinking about it....  Tales of The Amazing Six Breasted Woman!)

Thankfully, although the primary breastage is not shrinking one little bit, the tertiary breastage is.  It too was once a C, forcing me up into the size 16 jeans at one point.  Now, thanks to paleo, it's down to a B and getting smaller every day.  I walk around fondling my abdomen just to make sure that it hasn't suddenly reinflated.  The secondary breastage also seems to be getting smaller, although not as noticeably. 

So, when the image of a big, juicy burger just won't go away, instead I look down at my breasts.  All six of them.  And I dream about the day when someone says to me "Nice rack!" and I will no longer feel the need to clarify which one they're talking about. 

Cheers,
the CilleyGirl

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Running form

I've never been able to tell if I'm a heel striker or a mid-foot striker or otherwise when I run.  I probably wouldn't care in the grand scheme of things except that (a) I am a slow runner and I wonder if my form has something to do with that and (b) I tend to look down at my feet when I run and I am a slow runner and I wonder if my form has something to do with that.

After way too many race pictures that looked like this --


-- where I'm kind of hunched over and leaning forward and looking down at the ground with a very short stride, I decided for my last race that I would make a conscious effort to improve my stride.  Shoulders back, head up, slightly longer stride.  In particular, not to look down at the ground, which I tend to do when I get tired.

I did pretty good overall --


-- although I did have to look down at the ground during the part where I got really dizzy, lest I trip over a tree root and/or a buckle in the paved trail.  Or pass out, throw up, fall off the trail.  (It was really damn hot.)  I felt a lot more like a runner, rather than a plodder, by keeping a more upright stance.

I still look like I'm a mid-foot striker, though.  I've read that that is easier on the lower legs, making you less prone to injury.  I've also read that leaning forward slightly helps you retain your forward momentum; it's one of the things chi running advocates.  Lastly, I've read that a shorter stride also helps with injury prevention.  No matter which is correct or better or whatever, I like the look of the second picture over the first.  Even though I was trying not to fall down, trip, pass out, throw up, or fall off the track.

Anyone have any running form tips?

Cheers,
the CilleyGirl

Monday, August 16, 2010

Paleo and CATnip

Today is Day 15 of my 30 day paleo self-challenge.  It's still going well.  The cravings are all but gone.  Yesterday the woman behind me in the grocery checkout line plopped down this HUGE thing of cinnamon rolls, all slathered with icing.  My first reaction was "Ewwwww."  It did not seem appetizing at all, and usually cinnamon rolls are a big trigger for me.  I guess suffering through the first week-plus of cravings was worth it!

When I first started my challenge, I was at 193.2 lbs.  Today I was at 189.8 lbs, for a loss of 3.4 lbs or just over 1.5 lbs per week.  I'm happy about that but I would be happier if I haven't been losing that same four pounds over and over for the past few months.  If I show the same kind of loss for the next two weeks, then I'll be ecstatic.

Friday night I ran the CATnip Friday 5K.  Or as I like to now call it, the precipitating factor in the heat sickness I suffered from all weekend.  It was still close to 95 degrees at 7:00 p.m.  It was beyond hot. 

I was an idiot and did not bring a fuel belt with me.  When I first started running, I always carried water with me no matter what the distance.  I could run a block to 7-Eleven for a slurpee and still carry water with me on the way there.  The last time I did an evening run in a heat wave I carried water with me, but that was a run that came after a whole day of sweltering in my living room at home.  For Friday's race, I spent my day in air conditioning.  In other words, I just didn't believe it was going to get that damn hot. 

I feel as though I could have PRd if it hadn't been, you know, hotter than Satan's crotch (as Draz would say) and/or if I had brought water.  I started out feeling fabulous, and my legs stayed fabulous the whole run.  My breathing was a problem for the first half of the race and then that evened out too, contributing to the general feeling of fabulousness there.  What sucked was the headache, dizziness, nausea, and then even chills by the end of the race.  Can you say, warning signs?  I can!  If it hadn't been for the encouragement amazing woman I paced with for most of the race, I would have walked at least half of this race.   Special thanks also goes to the mom and her sweet little boy who gave me a cup of water.  It wasn't his fault he didn't know that ice cold water and running in the heat don't go all that well together.  I would have scarred that boy for life if I'd taken his cup and then immediately chucked it all back up on his neighbor's lawn. 

Once I crossed the finish line (official time 0:42:04, not bad for feeling like I needed a paramedic) I found the water and food people and downed two bananas and two bottles of water and felt so much better.  I never did really sweat the whole time, however -- even after drinking close to a gallon of water during the day beforehand -- so on the way home I got some gatorade.  Always important to properly hydrate!

The CATnip folks put on a great race.  There was plenty of food and water for everyone, even those walkers who finished past an hour.  I even saw burritos and BBQ sandwiches, although I had to skip those.  All in all, a great race.  Too bad it took place in a sauna.

One odd thing was how great my legs felt, not just during the race but afterwards.  Usually I can barely move after a race, particularly once I've sat down.  Not this time.  And before the heat sucked it out of me, I had so much energy.  I felt like I've always imagined a real runner feels.  I wonder if it's a consequence of the paleo diet.  The last time I ran was a couple of days before I started this.  I'm anxious to get back out there and test this theory.

But first, this heat must go away.  Theory is that today is our last day of scorching temps.  I hope so!

Cheers,
the CilleyGirl

P.S.  One last thing to add.  I am hanging out with a friend's cat for a couple of hours this week so she doesn't get so lonely.  Last night was my first visit, and to my surprise I didn't have a horrible allergy attack.  Granted I dosed up with benadryl beforehand, but usually even then I'm all sniffly.  I wonder if this too has anything to do with paleo?

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Holding out is hard

Day 11 of my paleo challenge and I am still going strong struggling with cravings.  But I am still sticking to it.  It isn't easy though.


See that plate?  See that big bulge on the plate?  That would be a piece of Starbucks' berry coffee cake.  I know this because (a) I have eyes and opposable thumbs, and (b) because I'm the one who bought it.

Yesterday morning I was up about an hour and a half before usual because I had a hair appointment downtown at 7:00 a.m.  I figured it would be a four soda day (kind of like a three dog night) as it was, but as I drove into work I thought longingly about how easy it would be to stop off at any of the eight Starbucks between downtown and my office and get a mocha. 

But I stayed strong and I did not get a coffee.  Then, about an hour later, my boss asks if I would mind making a coffee run and picking up some goodies because he hasn't had breakfast.  So I went, and I got lattes for my boss and my coworker and nothing for myself.  I also got lemon pound cake and a blueberry scone and the berry coffee cake and also nothing for myself.  And I haven't had any yet.  Even though it is in there, freshly and moistly and deliciously mocking me. 

So I'm having a banana.

It wouldn't have been such a big deal to have the mocha or the coffee cake in the short term or even in the grand scheme of things, but the cravings are finally starting to fade and I just don't want to go through that all again.  Or make the torture of the first week and a half meaningless.  I ran errands last night after work.  Usually that's an excuse to pick up dinner on the way home, and I passed at least a half dozen places where in the past I would have stopped to get something.  I did end up picking up dinner, but it was meatballs and chicken from the deli so still paleo. 

Yeah, I don't know what's come over me either.

My boss is out of town at a car auction and one of my coworkers is out sick so it's been really quiet here today.  After snapping a pic of the taunting coffee cake, I thought I'd do a few of my office.



This is where the magic happens.   My desk is pretty clean because I get antsy when there's too much stuff.  Plus I tend to lose things that way and we have so many files that if you stick something in the wrong file, good luck ever finding it again.  At least within a twelve month period.


This is more of the entertainment side of the office.  I have a nice, cushy loveseat with a blankie and a stereo.  When I'm really busy, this area ends up full of boxes of files that I am working on, going to work on, or have already worked on. 


The bigger picture of the office, so you can get an idea of the size.  I think it is about 17'x15'.  I know it's bigger than my bedroom at home.    The bookcases hold a lot of my office collection.  Like in the top right corner of the right hand bookcase, that's the head of a pinata wearing goofy sunglasses.  We got a pinata for a Cinco de Mayo party one year, and my boss finally managed to decapitate the pinata.  With a number three wood.  His name is Skippy.  The pinata, not my boss or the driver.  I also have a Scorpio Pooh, a dancing mouse, a pink bunny peep plush that my boss's dog got hold of one day when I was out sick and she (the dog) gutted the poor thing, a ray gun I picked up at a trade show.  Just various things that have come through the office that amused me.


This is my view.   You can't see it in this picture, or very well from my window because there are a lot of trees up here, but our office is across the street from a rec center.  Still I never manage to get to the gym. 

If I put my head up against my window and look east, I can just see Mt. Hood if the day is clear and there aren't any leaves on the other trees. 


The other side of my office with my wall of shame fame.  The top piece of paper on the wall there commemorates the day (7/25/06) I chased a bird through our office for about three hours before I finally caught it and released it back outside.  The paper has one of the bird's feathers on it.  (It was a slow day at the office, I think my boss was in France for a month on holiday at the time.)

I do like my office.  Which is good, because I'm here an awful lot. 

Tomorrow is the CATnip 5K.  Not looking forward to an evening race where it's forecast to be 90 to 95 degrees but it's for a good cause and the tech tee is probably going to become my new favorite.  Although now I don't think I'll be wearing it for the race; it's black.  Last time I ran an evening race in this kind of weather was the Starlite Run 5K last year.  I better pack extra water in the car.  And maybe a paramedic.

Cheers,
the CilleyGirl

Monday, August 9, 2010

I am a proud penguin

I read this article yesterday about slow runners (penguins, ha!) and whether they should be allowed in marathons. 

If you saw my open letter from a couple days ago -- which I have since taken down because it served its purpose and I can now let it go -- other than a fear that I really suck as a human being and everybody just humors me, I wonder if part of all that was that I'm not a fast runner.  I ran with these people several times but never literally.  There weren't all that much faster than I was, but enough so that I couldn't keep up past the first mile.  It didn't bother me in the slightest; I find it easier to push myself when I'm running solo, and for me the whole meet up was (a) for safety and (b) for the post-run brunches.  But because I'm somewhat certain I don't 100% suck as a person, I wonder if it would have turned out differently if only I could have kept up.

Some people believe that if you don't give it your all every time, why bother running at all?  A lot of these believe that if you're not running something like a seven minute mile, you should get off the road.  My local running community calls these folks "fastholes."   Now, to be a fasthole doesn't mean that you are a fast runner.  It means that not only do you believe that everyone should be fast but that you look down upon those who are slow.  So, from what I've heard Prefontaine would be fine with me and he would not be a fasthole.  Because what gets me is that the fastholes think that I'm running slow simply for the fun of it.  That obviously I can't be giving it my all because if I were I'd be faster.

To that I say, have you noticed the 30 lbs or so of breast I've got going on?  Funny thing, I've never seen a female fasthole with any sort of chest.  Duct (ha!) tape a couple of cantaloupes firmly to your chest and do a 10K and then we'll talk.  I really don't see any built like a brick shithouse (what is up with that saying??) female fastholes either.  They're all like thoroughbreds.   Well, fine, but a Clydesdale is still a horse and they're prettier and they get shot for broken legs a lot less often.  So there.  I also say, I am running as fast as I can.  So double there.

There were a few comments to this article that really resonated with me.  One was about how we're still running -- okay, maybe not running but still completing -- the same 26.2 miles.  I'd go a step further and point out that we've also done all of the same training mileage.  I just used up more of my weekends doing it.  It also reminds me of how Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, just backwards and in high heels.

Another was about how under a fasthole's mentality, only A and B students should be allowed in the classroom.  Which made me think about how I've done the same work as a graduate of Harvard Law, passed the same damn bar exam and all that, and we've got exactly the same degree.  With which, and $4.50, will get you a cup of coffee.  And a malpractice suit. 

What I really don't get is how my 6:26 marathon time detracts from someone else's 3:26 marathon time.  It's not being graded on a curve.  I don't get a handicap so that I could end up placing ahead of them.  No matter what, they're still three hours faster and they should be damn proud of their time.  Of course, if they kick penguins like me out of their races, suddenly their place of 50/200 could be in danger of becoming more like 180/200.  Makes them sound a little bit less elite, doesn't it? 

I do believe that slow runners should exhibit the appropriate running and race etiquette.  Line up towards the back of the pack for the starting line, between the mid-pack runners and the walkers.  Do keep to the far right or far left of the road, as appropriate, so that you can be safely passed by those faster than you.  If a race has a cutoff time and you believe you will be unable to make that cutoff time, reconsider signing up.  Be polite and supportive as you pass up those injured fastholes. 

In return, those blessed with the gift of speed should work on recognizing how much harder it is for those who are slow.  Again, we're generally not slower than dirt just for the fun of it.  Maybe we're just new, or maybe we're injured, or maybe we're just not ever going to be fast.  But we give our all in making it across the finish line and we're often giving it for twice as long.  In return, perhaps you could cheer us across the finish line as you chow down on the last of the bagels or the bananas?  Or, better yet, leave some for the rest of us.  We need it at least as much as you do.

Someone has to come in last.  Wouldn't you rather it were me?

Cheers,
the CilleyGirl

Be a diet Boy Scout!

"Always be prepared" is the Boy Scout motto.  At least, I think it is.  I could think of another motto but let's not get political.

Anyhow, always being prepared is, for me, a very important part of a successful eating plan. 

I was going to say "diet", but dieting sucks.  "Eating plan" is much better.  Yet "Be an eating plan Boy Scout" just doesn't have the same ring to it.

Anyhow.  Again.

I find it is so much easier not to go off track not only when you're not surrounded by what you don't want to eat, but when you're surrounded by what you do.  I can't imagine being a parent and having to stock, say, cookies or ice cream for your kidlets.  It's not only a matter of having the good stuff (not the good good stuff, but the -- oh, you know what I mean) around, but having it ready or reasonably ready to be eaten. 

I do my grocery shopping once a week because it's mainly just me and I don't want to buy a bunch of things only to have them go bad before I can eat them.  Plus my tastes change from day to day (thank you, advertisers!) and what sounded really good last week won't necessarily be tempting to me four or five days later.  This weekend I bought all kinds of stuff, so much that I almost had trouble getting it all into the fridge.  Mostly because it was things like a big pack of chicken breasts that needed to be depackaged, marinated, grilled, sliced up, and stashed away, or a couple of pints of strawberries that needed to be hulled, sliced, and put into a tupperware bowl.

And that's what I mean about being prepared.  I've mentioned before my big box o' meat, where I put various sliced, grilled meats I've made up for the week.  I discovered last night I have three containers of meat, explaining why the fridge was so crowded.  My job is fairly involving mentally, so most nights I'm so tired when I come home the thought of having to now prepare a meal from scratch often puts me over the edge and I go pick up fast food or a pizza.  Actually, it's usually before I even leave the office that I start convincing myself I should eat out that night -- because there's nothing ready to go.  But now, if I don't feel like cooking I have something healthy I can heat up and be ready in minutes.  That keeps me on track.

In addition to all the grilling and cooking of meat yesterday -- six big chicken breasts and a 3.5 lb pork tenderloin which will be soooo tasty for today's lunch -- I also did all the aforementioned strawberries and cut up a cantaloupe to boot.  While the strawberries mostly went into one container, the cantaloupe went into three smaller ones, the perfect size for a daily lunch.  The 1.5 lbs of cocktail shrimp got separated out into five baggies, comprising five breakfasts this week.  The better part of three peaches were cut up and will also be today's lunch along with the pork.  If I'm really feeling like Suzie Homemaker, I'll even get the mini carrots into their own baggies for the week as well. 

Lest you think I am totally and absolutely awesome, I'm not.  Well, I am but in a different way.  Seriously though, I normally don't do quite so much lunch prep -- I will have to separate things out each night usually -- but lately preparing my lunch every evening has been tiresome.  It's easier if I can manage the time to do a lot of it at once.  And so far, with this paleo challenge, having food there and ready has made all of the difference.

So be a diet Boy Scout!  Help yourself stay on track by putting aside a small amount of time to do what you can ahead of time.  Not only will it save you time in the long run, it will also save your ass!

Cheers,
the CilleyGirl

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Before she cheats...

...she should make certain that the Coldstone Creamery she is heading to is in fact still there.  Just a little tip, from you to me.

So.  Today I almost cheated. 

I had to bag my race this morning.  I woke up feeling like I'd swallowed a bottle of paste and it was all stuck in the middle of my throat.  Not a good feeling.  Rather achy, actually.  I decided running wouldn't be good for anyone involved.  Instead I dug out some robitussin and went back to bed. 

I woke up with my throat feeling a lot better but on the whole I was tired and headachy.  I returned a friend's call first thing; she advised I should record my voice mail message while I sounded like Kathleen Turner. 

I had to go to the library in the afternoon so I made myself presentable (translation:  put on a bra) and did that.  On the way back, I thought about how I still felt pretty blah and decided I needed ice cream.  From Coldstone Creamery.  I knew I shouldn't, and that I would not be happy with myself later, but I just felt so lousy.  I went past the turn off to my house and headed towards the ice cream shop.

Only to find that it was closed!  And not just closed, business hours are over.  Closed as in, this space for lease. 

I was actually relieved to find out that was the case.  I did pull out my phone to see where the nearest open location was, but decided against driving there since it was not all that close.  I headed home.

Where I prepared, among other things, grilled scallops and a broccoli-carrot stir fry for dinner.  No comparison to the peanut butter chocolate catastrophe I'd been thinking about, but infinitely much better for my body.  I marinated the scallops in a little walnut oil, fresh lemon juice, some orange juice, and spices.  I made up the broccoli-carrot stir fry, with walnut oil with minced garlic and some powdered ginger.  Next time I'd used a little less oil since the broccoli tends to suck it up like a sponge and it took a long time until they were cooked enough (at least to my taste), but the carrots tasted fabulous like this.  Next time I might just do the carrots on their own. 

My weekend was otherwise fairly uneventful so I'll post a few pics from last weekend.

Cheers,
the CilleyGirl

From my run last weekend.  Between my bodybugg, my iPod, and my Garmin I felt like the Borg.  Resistance is futile!


From the county fair last weekend.  I love funky looking chickens.


My hair!  My hair!


This little guy was one day old.


Dreaming of Coldstone Creamery.


Dinner last week.  Go paleo!

Friday, August 6, 2010

On my Christmas list

Would be one of these little guys.  You have to watch the video.  The part where he's being brushed?  And when he's in the playpen wagging his tail?  I think I strained a vocal cord with my "squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee."

Day 4 of the paleo challenge in the bucket.  The cravings were baaaaaaaaaaaad last night.  This >< close to going out for something.  Only that big scale loss yesterday kept me strong.  Well, that and an emergency diet coke.  I keep thinking of that (the scale, not the soda) and the fact that it would suck to have gone through these cravings for nothing, if I cheat now.  Today I want sushi.  Otter-free, thank you very much.  But I'd share!

Also keeping me strong today is that I'm going to hit the deli for dinner tonight and get me some'a spicy meatball.  And get some more shrimp, the scallops -- basically, all the paleo stuff that I've been wanting.  Something a little different than just steak.  And a tad easier on the choppers.  On the up side, my dentist will be thrilled with how much I'm flossing now. 

Cheers,
the CilleyGirl

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Scale Warfare

Today is Day 4 of my 30-day paleo challenge. 


This morning I saw a number on the scale that I haven't seen since the first week in June.  I mean that in a good way (good weigh? thank you -- try the veal!).  Kind of made up for the humongous number I saw on the scale on Monday when I started this.  Best of all, Aunt Flo is scheduled to unpack her bags next week so this (today) is traditionally a time when the scale shifts upwards.  To see it head down made me smile.  A big, naked smile.
 
What, do you weigh yourself when you're dressed?  Man, I even exhale before I step on.
 
Yesterday continued to be a difficult day all the way up to bedtime.  Even despite receiving a free neck and shoulder massage during the office lunch hour (we're lobbying to turn this into a monthly perk), it turned out to be a four-soda day.  The cravings were foremost in my mind, although it's shifted from Arby's to Burger King (double whopper with cheese and bacon -- and take off that lettuce, tomato or onion crap while you're at it -- plus the biggest order of chicken fries they have).  It probably didn't help that in the afternoon I watched a clip of The Today Show where they had the "eat this, not that" guy on with Matt Lauer comparing fast food meals.  I pretty much wanted it all.  Even the "the fat and calories in this KFC meal is equivalent to these 32 chocolate donuts" donuts.  And the waffles.  I'm kind of obsessed with maple syrup right now and I don't know why.  Although I do want it on a rasher of paleo-friendly bacon rather than on no-no pancakes. 
 
Mmmm, bacon.  I started making my weekend shopping list last night.  After diet soda, bacon tops the list.  Follows by shrimp and scallops.  I'm really enjoying having shrimp (or "chrimps" if you're a Birdcage fan) for breakfast with just the tiniest dab of cocktail sauce.  Bacon and shrimp made me think of scallops, so there you go.  Reminds me, I need to add avocado to the list.
 
Day 3's dinner was elk kebabs, roasted cauliflower, and mushrooms.  The elk kebabs were marinated in a bourbon and brown sugar marinade that is done by McCormick & Schmick.  Yum.  I didn't plan to do kebabs.  In fact, they're probably technically not kebabs at all since I didn't add fruit or veggies to the skewers.  I thought I pulled out a package of elk steak to defrost and it turned out to be stew meat so I thought, skewers!  My dogs were lobbying pretty heavily for me to share the elk kebabs.  To the point of some deliberate attempts to trip me in the kitchen.  (They had a coordinated effort going on.) 
 
 
Do I look like I could ever do such a thing?
 
I semi-appeased them with the roasted cauliflower, which who knew dogs liked cauliflower?  I just wanted them otherwise occupied.  But they thought that was da bomb.  It was pretty good; I roasted it with a little walnut oil and some spices until lightly browned and tender.   I didn't share the mushrooms; they're sort of my go-to vegetable since I can't have corn, peas, green beans, beans, or potatos.  Which pretty much represents the only vegetables I ever ate for my first 25 years of life.  Except for maybe some iceberg lettuce.
 
Hmm, I think I need to add mushrooms to my shopping list too.
 
Cheers,
the CilleyGirl

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

A difficult day for the CilleyCaveGirl

Day 2 is behind me, Day 3 is trying to get away from me.  It's been hard not to say, hey why not have a mini Milky Way?  Hey, maybe coworker will come back from lunch with cake.  Hey, why not have Arby's for dinner tonight?  We don't feel so well and therefore we deserve a little happiness. 

Of course, as we (the actual we, not just me with a mouse in my pocket) know all too well that candy bars, cake and crap will not give us happiness.  At least, nothing beyond a few seconds -- and is it really worth it just for that?  Not that it reminds me of my younger days when I approached not only food but sex with the same attitude ("but he seems to really, really like me, I'm sure this will last beyond tonight!"). 

(In some way I guess it's good I got a little too self-conscious about my body to do that anymore.  Plus I grew up.  Plus I started to actually like myself and realized I was worth more than that.)

Anyhow.  I'm a smidge hungry and my brain is taking that opportunity to tempt me with fond remembrances of food past.  Although I have noticed that it's glossing over the not so fond remembrances of what happens when you eat too much.  Break out the Prilosec, the Pepto, and the um, what other tummy med starts with P? 

Cherries would be a much better choice.  And a distraction.  So I'm surfing for interesting stuff in between tasks. 

In case you need a distraction too, I give you this.  Nothing like reading about a whole bunch of awesome and amazing people who on the whole work with people who want food because they are actually hungry.  Or homeless.  Or both. 

Kind of takes the fun out of fantasizing about a trip to Arby's, huh?

Cheers,
the CilleyGirl

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Good news is, nobody bet against me

Bad news is, nobody bet on me either! 

Day 2 of the paleo challenge is almost over.  I really want Arby's.  Or a Reese's.  I'll end up having a banana.  Maybe two. 

Last night I made a fantastic salad for dinner.  Romaine, grilled sliced chicken breast. dates, walnuts, and an avocado with a tropical mango olive oil vinaigrette (Bolthouse Farms on the latter, very tasty and very low cal). 

I haven't gotten into making my own paleo salad dressings.  I never had salad until I was 11 or 12.  We never ate it at home.  I had it for the first time in summer camp.  Part of my problem with salad over the years is salad dressing; I could never find a dressing I liked.  Usually they were too thick (didn't know about the "dip your fork in the dressing on the side" trick back then) or too vinegary.  I finally found one about eight years ago that I liked and I credit it with helping me to lose 30 lbs.  Of course, they stopped making it!  A lot of sucky salad dressings later and I now have four or five that I like.  For the challenge I am planning to stick to the ones that are closest to paleo.  The mango one is about 99% paleo (almost all real ingredients) plus so flavorful (and of a thin consistency) that you don't need all that much.  And it's only 30 calories for two tablespoons.  Bolthouse Farms makes some excellent dressings.  I also like the Litehouse reduced calorie vinaigrettes, they have a honey dijon and a pear gorgonzola that are great.

And did you notice that if you look at the word "vinaigrette" long enough it looks completely misspelled?

Condiments are one thing I am using sparingly during the challenge, but still using.  This morning I had about a teaspoon of cocktail sauce with my shrimp.  I like to marinate my meat.  I do a smidge (maybe half a teaspoon) of ranch dressing with my carrot sticks. 

I should go eat some fruit.  And hide the car keys.  I should start keeping a list of all of my cravings, with the idea that if I want any of it in 30 days then I can go have it. 

Might be a long list.

Cheers,
the CilleyGirl

Monday, August 2, 2010

Join my challenge! Or place your bets as to how long I'll last...

Either way, I don't mind!  Even bad publicity is still publicity, right?

Anyhow.

I've decided to do a 30 day paleo challenge.  For the next 30 days -- essentially the month of August minus yesterday -- my food choices will follow these guidelines*:

No dairy.  This includes butter, cheese, yogurt (even Greek) and milk (including in your coffee). 

No grains.  This includes bread, rice, pasta, oatmeal, and any grains purporting to be gluten-free.

No legumes. This includes beans of all kinds (including green beans), lentils (including peas), and peanuts.

No starches.   The most common are potatoes (regular and sweet) and corn.  Some do not include sweet potatoes and yams in this category; I haven't decided, so for now they are out. 

No sugar.  No maple syrup, agave nectar, Splenda, Truvia, Stevia, etc.  Honey is okay in small amounts.

No processed foods.  If there are a bunch of ingredients you can not pronounce or spell, it's out.
No alcohol.  Dun dun dun!!!

That's what I won't be eating.  Bet you're asking, what's left?  I'll tell you!

Real food.   Meat, shellfish, eggs, vegetables, nuts, seeds, fruit, and oils (good oils like EVOO, coconut, avocado, and walnut).  Foods with only a few pronounceable ingredients or no ingredients at all because they are real foods.

Special CilleyGirl Screw-You-It-Is-Too-Paleo Item.  That would be diet soda.  I'll kill people (with a club, just like my paleo ancestors) if I have to give this up.  I'm not a coffee person.  Yes, take away my grew-up-in-Seattle-now-live-in-Portland membership card.  I like coffee fine.  I just rarely drink it.  Same with tea, except that I drink tea more often than I do coffee (it's less work), particularly in the winter months.  But I have never been able to have something hot first thing in the morning, even if I've slept in a tent and it's 20 degrees outside.  So the soda stays.  I'm aiming for moderation with this, which means a max of two a day during the week, three a day on weekends.  

No counting calories.  Eat when you're hungry.  Stop when you're not.  Pairing your protein with your carbs is a good idea but not required.  I tend to eat protein then about a half hour later eat carbs.  Probably because I like meat best.  I have fruit issues, you know.

Starting weight:  I think it was 193.2 this morning. 

So, if you'd like to give this a whirl with me please leave me a comment.   If you are fine with where you are now but want to place your bet as to how many days I'll last before cheating and/or forgetting that I'm doing this (either one is equally likely), then leave me a comment about that.  If I get a decent response, maybe I'll even have a prize for whomever comes closest.  (I'd say I'll give away a prize for sure but I'm not sure what so I'm vacillating....)  If you live in or around Portland, maybe you can win a treadmill!  Because while it's a great treadmill I've outgrown it (training wise, not size wise) and I'd really like it out of my living room!

Cheers,
the CilleyGirl



*Inspired by the challenge guidelines posted at Whole Nine.  Except for the Screw-You item.  That's all me.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

The Garmin is dusty no more!

On Friday, I realized that I was about to end a second full month of logging in zero miles -- after 18 months of doing this "running" thing.  I felt as though if I let that happen I might never get back.  So, Saturday morning I woke up -- sans alarm clock even -- nice and early and was out the door shortly past nine to the college track. 

It was the perfect weather for running.  Slightly overcast and about 55 degrees with no wind.  I debated taking a jacket with me and ultimately decided against it.  Okay, it was more like in my quest to remember everything I needed to do to go run I forgot about it but it turned out fine. 

During the half mile walk over to the college, I decided on my goal of a 5K.  I had no goal in terms of time, just wanted to test my legs and see if they still remembered how to run.  And they did!  After a nice, easy two laps only maybe a minute slower than what I would normally run I realized, as with my feeling that I needed to log some miles in July, I had to run this first mile.  By the last lap I was breathing heavily but I did run, and again only about two minutes slower than what I would do when I was in my best shape.

And it was easy to push myself to run that first mile and to run most of the rest as well.  While my physical fitness has definitely slipped during the ten weeks I did not run, I was happy that my mental fitness has not.  I was tired in that last lap of the first mile but I immediately remembered how I'd felt during the marathon and had no problem telling myself to keep going.  I did take several walk breaks during the last two miles, plus a water break at the halfway point, but my legs almost started to giddyup again without me consciously deciding to do so.  By the time I hit 5K I was breathing hard but my legs felt great and my breathing settled back down well before I walked back to the house.

My 5K time was 44 minutes and change.  That's seven minutes slower than my 5K PR but I intentionally wanted this to be an easy run.  I knew I could go faster but I didn't want to feel the run so much that I didn't feel like running for the rest of the week. 

My intention is to get at least two more runs in this week before Sunday's race, and I'd really like to do three, but again I don't want to push it in my first week back.  In September I want to get some sort of training plan into place.  Don't know what I would be training for quite yet, although I do still want to work on my speed so maybe that.  Otherwise I'm thinking a half or longer for next May, including setting a time goal. 

In other weekend excitement, my friend S and I went to the Washington County Fair today.  I love fairs and I hadn't been to one in years.  I was delighted to find out that this fair was going on this weekend -- admission is free!  And we almost got mowed down by a rogue sow in the swine barn.  Woo hoo!  I'll get some pics up from the fair -- sadly, not of the rogue sow, I was a little busy moving out of the way -- some time soon.  Which reminds me, I still need to get some camping pictures up. 


Unfortunately, a lot were overexposed or else I was holding on to two dogs at the time and they jerked the camera out of focus.  But here is CBS, probably shortly after I got everything set up in the tent.  Yes, I do really rough it when I camp.  Hey, if you're car camping you might as well bring whatever fits in the car.  But I can also hike into a campsite and make something like chinese food over a one-match fire; 11 years of summer camp left me with some skillz in this department.  Little too much trouble for just me, but if anyone wants to go camping let me know and I'll dazzle away!

Cheers,
the CilleyGirl